Darwin Hall Renovation

The remodel of Charles Darwin Hall began in January 2005 and required the reassignment of all classes, labs and offices to other areas of campus for the duration of the 2 year renovation.

Stevenson 1050 was redesigned as a Geology lab.

The Physics and Astronomy Department labs and faculty offices moved to buildings on the northwest corner of campus.

The Chemistry lab is in Carson 1 (which was reconfigured to its original lab design).

The Computer Science Department moved to the Semilion laboratory in the Residential Community.

Mathematics classes will be absorbed into existing classroom spaces.

The Burr Greenhouse that was located behind Darwin Hall was moved to a location just east of the tennis courts.

Funding to renovate Darwin Hall came from Proposition 47 ($26 million) which the voters approved in 2002. The campus was allocated an additional $2.3 million for furniture and equipment in Darwin Hall through Proposition 55, the school facilities bond of 2004.

See the Darwin Hall Renovation Web site at http://www.sonoma.edu/pubs/darwinhall/ for complete information including faculty locations, maps, timelines, etc.

Work will be complete in Summer 2006 when the process of moving back into Darwin Hall begins. Classes resume in Fall 2006.

Nels Worden, Stockroom Tech, prepares equipment and supplies for storage.

Temporary labs just south of the Recreation Center were installed that will accommodate students who would normally take Biology and other science classes in Darwin Hall. There are seven modules that provide 11 labs and a multi-function stockroom.

Schulz Information Center

Because of its size, technology usage, and operating hours, the Schulz Information Center uses approximately 25% of the campus energy load. Using lessons learned from Salazar and Darwin Halls and the Recreation Center, the energy systems in Schulz will be adjusted so they are even more efficient than they are now.

Funding for the adjustments comes from the California Energy Commission. Timelines extend through the 2005 calendar year. No disruption of services is expected.

Stevenson Interior Stairwell

Funding has been received from the State's minor capital outlay program to improve the safety of Stevenson Hall's interior stairwell area (all three floors). Currently the hallway doors open directly at the base of the stairs creating a hazard. The new design will make entering and exiting safer, more accessible and will improve the look.

Work will be completed as minor capital monies become available for 2005/06.

Work will be done in Summer 2005 and completed by fall 2005.

Stevenson Hall Loading Dock

The safety work (above) on the interior stairwell areas is a first priority. Any monies remaining from the State's minor capital outlay budget will go toward defining the loading dock area of Stevenson Hall. Since the building's construction in the 1960s (Stevenson was the first campus building) the loading dock has served as a location to make deliveries. It was the "back" of the building. The residential community, Schulz Information Center and the Recreation Center have drawn more of the campus community to the west side of campus.

Stevenson does not have a formal entrance, but that will change as funding allows. The extent of the work and the timeline will be dictated by the progress on the safety work in the stairwells being done in Summer 2005 (above).

At left is a depiction of what the new Stevenson entrance might resemble.

Parking Lot K

A new lot will be constructed between Ives Hall and the Seawolf soccer field. Work will begin in the Spring 2005 semester and be ready for Fall 2005.

The faculty and staff scooter charging shed, now temporarily located near the Boiler Plant, will be relocated to Lot K which will provide greater ease of access for those who use electric mobility scooters.

Green Music Center

Music/faculty office academic building

Donald & Maureen Green Music Center

In January, final approval was given by the California State University Board of Trustees to begin construction of the Green Music Center and its components, the music/faculty office academic building and the conference center. Construction begins in summer 2005. The GMC is proposed to open in Fall 2007.

With tremendous support from donors and the community, state bond funds from the citizens of California via Proposition 55, and a commitment from the CSU via a system-wide revenue bond, this will truly be a public-private partnership. SSU and its fundraising partner, the Santa Rosa Symphony, are working hard to complete the private fundraising campaign before the Center opens in Fall 2007.

The centerpiece of the Green Music Center is the 1,400 seat concert hall that has been designed to replicate the outstanding acoustics and intimacy of two of the best concert halls in the world, the historic Grosser Musikvereinsaal in Vienna (home of the Vienna Philharmonic), and the ten-year old Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in western Massachussetts, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its internationally-known educational programs. Like the highly-regarded Ozawa Hall, the back door of the concert hall will slide open, allowing audiences of up to 10,000 people sitting outside to relax and enjoy live performances. The concert hall will be complemented by an intimate 300 seat recital hall.   The recital hall is located in the music/faculty office academic building, which will provide instructional capacity for 300 full-time equivalent students and 20 faculty offices. A conference center will provide banquet, meeting and restaurant facilities capable of serving groups sized from 60 to 600.

The Green Music Center features a design that is both attractive and sensitive to the natural environment around it. The exterior will be stone, plaster, wood siding and high performance glazing. The building is designed around a central courtyard with a ceremonial arcade entrance. The project will implement many of the environmentally sustainable features the University has successfully incorporated in past projects, including low energy cooling, day lighting, natural ventilation, hydronic heating, structural capacity for future photovoltaic panels, reflective roofing, highly efficient controlled lighting systems, and high performance glazing with shade devices.

North Entrance to Campus

A more formal entrance to the north side of campus near lots L, M, N and O, similar to the one at the southwest entrance at Bodway Drive will be incorporated into the Green Music Center plan. A 35 ft. tower and a stone entryway will beautify the entrance and make it more prominent.

As was originally planned when the campus was built more than 40 years ago, this north entrance will become the "main" entrance to campus. The tower will serve as a campus landmark.

The north entrance tower will happen at the same time as the GMC construction work.

Student Housing

Additional housing options will be evaluated based on future growth and the student demand.

University Center

The University Center plan is still evolving, but the Center will include the Recreation Center (already complete), and an Enterprises building that will house the Bookstore, food services, administrative space, and a large multi-purpose room. Timelines are being developed and are tied to the growth of the campus.